Network Pharmacology Research of Qingyi Decoction (清胰汤) in the Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis

ABSTRACT Presently, clinically specific drugs are absent for acute pancreatitis (AP). Numerous clinical investigations have extolled the notable efficacy of Qingyi Decoction (QYD, 清胰汤) in the management of AP. However, the molecular mechanisms are lacking. Therefore, we analyzed pharmacological mechanisms of QYD in treating AP through network pharmacology. As for the network pharmacology, 173 active compounds and 1,073 active target genes for QYD were identified. Of these, 884 active target genes correlated with AP among the 11128 AP-associated genes and were linked to the 173 active compounds. In addition, GO functional enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment revealed that these target genes were mainly enriched in cancer signaling, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, lipids and atherosclerosis, cAMP signaling, central carbon metabolism in cancer, and calcium signaling pathways. Finally, molecular docking was employed to assess the binding affinity between target proteins and their associated compounds. This study identified critical compounds and potential target genes. Our study may serve as a foundation for subsequent investigations on the therapeutic potential of QYD in treating AP.